Monday, March 28, 2016

Interview with Marc Alan Edelheit, THE TIGER'S FATE

This is hardcore Military Fantasy done with
historical accuracy. Think Imperial Rome meets Epic Fantasy on another world.

A nobleman from an infamous family, imperial
legionary officer, fighter and a right proper

bastard of a man… Captain Ben Stiger finds himself
reassigned from a crack legion to the rebellion simmering in the South. Placed
in command of a truly terrible company, the 85th Imperial Foot, he is
unknowingly sent on a suicide mission to resupply an isolated outpost, the
garrison of Vrell. Along the way he must rebuild his new company, gain the
respect of the men he leads, survive an assassination attempt, fight bandits,
rebels, and an agent of an evil god. His companions on this journey of
discovery and adventure are one of the few remaining elven rangers and a
paladin on a quest for the High Father.

The hero, Captain Ben Stiger, has to come up with
practical solutions of his own. His companion, Eli, is one of the last elven
rangers. The first book Stiger’s Tigers picks up in the middle of their
adventures. Both are thrown into the deep end that sets them off on quite an
adventure that neither the audience nor they can predict where it will take
them. Lots of really cool twists and turns along the way!

I took great pains to give the imperial legions in
the series a ring of authenticity in that they fight and act like those of
Rome. Much of what you find was what it was like in the ancient world, with
some magic and other races tossed in.

How many
books do you plan on having in this series?

There are currently five books planned for this
series. Book 3 is expected out in June. I also plan on writing a prequel and an
off shoot book/series involving some of the other characters.

Do you plan
on writing anything but Fantasy?

Yes. My next project will be a Science Fiction
series. No spoilers though. I hope to deliver the first book between books
three and four.

In both
Stiger's Tigers and The Tiger we learn more and more about Stiger’s background
in one bit at a time throughout the story. Why did you decide to start the
series in the middle of Stiger’s and Eli’s adventures?

Early on I wrestled with this. I could have very
easily done a data dump and spent several paragraphs on his background, but I
felt and bet that by having it come out one little nugget at a time, this
approach would have a more profound effect upon the reader. As I started to
write the story, I intentionally made the decision to keep Stiger’s background
limited, as I wanted the story more focused on him as an individual and developing
character. This was an intentional technique/approach that I felt would create
a sense of mystery on Stiger’s part that would enhance his appeal to the reader
as they worked to put the puzzle pieces of his character together.

Stiger’s personal puzzle is far from complete.

It is clear you were inspired by Rome and the Roman Army?
Was it mostly the military organization or also other aspects of Imperial Rome that
were important for you?

It was a mixture of both. The Mal'Zeelan military and
other social organizations are very similar to Roman ones. There is a definite point
where that stops though. The empire in the books is certainly similar to Rome
but is also intentionally not Rome. It is important for readers to understand
that the story is set in a different world. I wanted the empire to be a
believable entity, which is why I modeled it on Rome and her legions. That also
allows me to add in a level of detail that you do not normally see in a Fantasy
series, such as equipment, arms, how the legionaries live, train, fighting
styles, etc.

Many of the norms in the books are based upon ancient norms… acceptable behaviors
for the times. What would be considered normal in the ancient world would be
thought of as barbaric and inhumane today… such as the torturing of prisoners
for information and then executing them, or taking prisoners so they can be
sold as slaves for monetary gain. Gladiatorial fights, labor, etc.

I’ve received a number of emails from fans who say they find it hard to
identify with Stiger’s empire as being the good guys. This is because they are applying
modern day norms to an ancient world mindset. Some of the things ancient
cultures did to their neighbors would be considered war crimes or crimes
against humanity in today’s world. When studying history you have to understand
that ancient peoples thought differently than we do today. It is no different
in Stiger's world and the reader is thrown into the middle of it.

I took this approach for a very specific reason. Over
the years, I’ve read a number of fantasy books where the hero does everything “right”
in that the decision making process has to be “good” in relation to what the
reader would consider acceptable behavior in our modern day world. This has
always bothered me. So, I specifically set about avoiding that pitfall. Once
you dispense with modern day norms, it opens up all kinds of interesting
possibilities for both the storyline and the characters. It also makes the
story much more interesting to readers. I feel that the realism is one of the
reasons why people feel so drawn to the story, while others love it, but have
problems identifying Stiger's empire as the good guys. Besides... who is to say
they are? The Carthaginians and many other nation states certainly did not feel
the Romans were the good guys.

How much
research did you do?

A lot.I
spent months researching Imperial Rome and the ancient world before I even
began writing. This involved reading hundreds of books and making pages of
notes on details. I even paid attention to the small ones. I wanted to describe
what it was like to be on an ancient battlefield and have it ring of authenticity.
I had questions… “What was it like to be in the ranks?”“What was the daily life of a legionary
like?” To answer those questions and many more, it required a lot of study.

When you read you should learn something… it makes
the story much more enjoyable, so I set about showing my readers what it was
like to serve in the legions.

Your cover
art is very cool, but the first two book covers look like more like roman historical
fiction as opposed to Fantasy. Why?
My goal in writing this series was to do something different and break the
Fantasy model. So, I set about writing a non-traditional fantasy series. The
first few covers had to set the tone for the series, as Stiger is slowly ripped
from the normal/mundane world that he knows and understands, one filled by
legionary life and service to the empire into one peopled with strange races,
creatures, gods and magic. So it was important to me to have a very unique
cover.

Perhaps it was a mistake to not include more fantasy in the first two covers...
though the first two books have been so well received that looking back I would
not want to change it.

My cover artist, Gianpiero Mangialardi is a real
genius. He’s done some amazing work for me… some of which have yet to see.

Check out the cover for Book 3, which has yet to be
released. This book has Stiger thrown into the deep end of the fantasy pool and
the cover reflects it.

Do you
write full time or part time?

I like to think of this as a hobby.I have a full time job as an executive
in the healthcare industry and a family with three little girls. My wife, on
the other hand thinks I write full time. :P I get home from work, play with my
girls, have some family time… and when everyone goes off to bed, that’s my time
to write. I spend about 3-5 hours a night writing. The key is being consistent
and staying with it. That’s how you finish books. One day I hope to take
writing full time… where it becomes my sole occupation and I can dedicate more
time to it. Writing is my passion.

When did you
first start writing Stiger’s Tigers?

I began working on
the series back in 2013/14. From the beginning I intended to write a multi-book
fantasy epic. I mapped out where I wanted to go, developed a backstory and came
up with a very detailed outline.

I wrote the first
draft of Stiger's Tigers in three weeks and then spent the next year
editing/improving the manuscript to its final form. The Tiger was started in
April of 15 and published December 1st 2015. I was working on it
right up until the second week of November.

I have just finished
with the first draft of The Tiger's Fate. It took me six weeks to write and now
I am working on improving it. Having a detailed outline to work from really
helps you crank out the chapters. Making it readable, consistent and smooth is
the hard part... that literally takes hours and hours of additional work.
Luckily I have a great support team with my agent, beta readers and editorial
team. That said... it is a lot of work to bring a book from conception to
publication. After a book goes to publish, all I want to do is sleep for the
next week.

What has been most surprising to you?

The fan response has
been the most surprising thing to me. The response to the series has been both
amazing and humbling. I wrote Stiger’s Tigers to simply see if I could. You
spend all this time writing and working… wondering if people will like your
work and when it is published you are putting yourself out there for the
ultimate critique. There was absolutely no expectation on my part that Stiger’s
Tigers would become a bestseller. When I published Stiger’s Tigers, I felt
people would think it was a good book and then suddenly I found myself getting
compared to George Martin, Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell. WOW! Fans began
emailing, messaging me on Facebook and calling me at work. It’s pretty cool
because they love the characters and the story. It’s been an awesome experience.
The reviews on amazon have been great too. I read every review, even the
critical ones. It is important to me.

To my fans… all I can say is thank you for reading my work. Each review
motivates me to work harder.

Are reviews helpful? Do you read them?

Oh, yes absolutely.
There is a lot of really great feedback in many reviews which can help make you
a better writer. The reader gets to tell you what they liked and sometimes
hated. I feel it is important to read all of them, even the negative and off
the wall ones… which sometimes leave you wondering… “Did they actually read my
book?”

It can be tough taking some of the feedback, but as an author you have to do
it. If the reader has taken the time to buy, read and then post a review, well
then it is worth my time to read it. I appreciate every review and at times I
feel like I work for reviews. They help to motivate me to write.

What advice would you give to aspiring
writers?

Never give up!Keep at it and get some professional
help. There are a lot of good developmental editors out there.Seek one out who can help you bring
your work to the next level.

What do you do for fun?

I enjoy spending time
with my family, traveling and doing outdoor things like hiking, and kayaking. I
am a voracious reader… for both pleasure and work. When I am not writing, I can
devour 4-5 books a week. I am also an avid video gamer and actively play World
of Tanks, World of Warships and Armored Warfare.

Voted #2 Best Book Blog of 2017 by Reedsy

Sign up for Debra's Newsletter

Want to be the first to know about new releases, contests and special deals? Sign up here.

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

html

text

mobile

Review Status

CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS: I have an overwhelming TBR pile at the moment and am NOT accepting any new books for review. The books reviewed on this site are either digital copies or ARCs sent by publishers or authors. I never accept payment in exchange for a review.

NetGalley Top Reviewer

Total Pageviews

Search This Blog

GUEST POSTS ARE WELCOME!

If you are interested in contributing a guest post for Two Ends of the Pen, please send me an email at:dlmartin6 AT yahoo DOT com.

Your article/post needs to have some relevance to writing, books, ebooks, epublishing, tips for blogging, marketing strategies, etc. You get the idea--really, anything to do with books and being an author in general. I've also highlighted a number of guest posts in the sidebar to help you understand what I'm looking for in a post.

I look forward to sharing your posts with my readership.

Requesting an Author Interview

If you would like to request an author interview, please send an email to dlmartin6 AT yahoo.com and let me know if you are strictly an indie author or an indie/traditionally published author. This way I can send you interview questions to suit your book(s). All the questions are just suggestions, you may add/change/delete any of them.

Put "Requesting Author Interview" in the email subject line. Interviews are posted on a first-come first-serve basis and will be posted ASAP depending on the backlog of other posts for the blog. In addition to your interview spotlight page, you will also be added to the list of Author Interviews page.

Please do NOT ask me to review your book in your author interview request. I am CLOSED to review submissions.

Contact Me

If you would like to contact Deb directly, please send a message to:dlmartin6 [at] yahoo [dot] com.